Lack of passport leads to canceled cruise for local couple

Pat and Gerald Woods planned the details of their cruise for months, working with Mesquite Travel on the destination and ship, the excursions and air travel. The couple bought trip insurance in case something went wrong before they sailed from Seattle in May 2011.

They asked what documents they would need for the 10-day cruise, which stopped in four Alaska ports and Victoria, British Columbia, before returning to Seattle.

The answer to that question resulted in a nearly two-year dispute between the couple, the travel agency and Celebrity Cruises, which is owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd.

The couple say they knew that Gerald’s passport was expired, so Pat asked the agent at Mesquite Travel whether one would be necessary for the trip. She says she was told three separate times that he could make the trip without one.

He arrived with his driver’s license, but that wasn’t adequate documentation, and it became apparent as soon as they were met at the plane by Celebrity staffers. They traveled on to the ship dock to talk to officials, but they were told “in no uncertain terms, that we would not sail without a passport because we would be in Canadian waters part of the time,” Pat said.

The couple flew back to Texas on the same day they left. They were out $4,623 for the cruise, airfare and other trip expenses.

They filed for their trip insurance from Celebrity Cruises when they got home, but their claim was refused.

“That was worthless,” said Gerald.

The CruiseCare insurance policy lists just five categories for which it will pay off, and even some of those have restrictions.

“According to the information submitted, your interruption was due to insufficient travel documentation. Unfortunately, your reason for interruption is not among the specified reasons listed in the program that would make one eligible for a cash refund,” said the letter they received.

The couple next argued through their credit card for reimbursement of the $1,765.48 they’d charged. They lost that ruling, despite the fact that Celebrity incorrectly said they had failed to show at the pier.

They also wrote to Linda Lee, owner of Mesquite Travel, and asked for their money back.

“We feel that Mesquite Travel has given us bad advice, taken our money and has not helped us with our travel plans,” the letter reads.

Lee agrees that the couple were told they could take the cruise without a passport and could use their driver’s license. But she says they also were told they would need a government-issued birth certificate, as well.

“Our agent told them they needed a driver’s license and a birth certificate. That’s true,” she said, adding that there were other ways that information was shared with the couple, too. “You have to go past that information to check in online and it’s in the documents they received.”

Celebrity says online that “all U.S. citizens on cruises that begin and end at the same port in the U.S. will be able to enter or depart the country with proof of citizenship, such as a government-issued birth certificate and laminated government-issued picture ID, denoting photo, name and date of birth.”

In another section about required travel documents, the cruise line says that U.S. citizens on Alaska cruises must have a passport.

Because much of the information provided by the cruise line is governmentspeak and sometimes contradicts itself, I asked Celebrity about the couple’s case, hoping for some compassion and perhaps a discount toward future travel.

That didn’t happen.

Cynthia Martinez, spokeswoman for owner Royal Caribbean, said by email that the cruise line regrets that the couple weren’t able to board. “However, documentation requirements are set by the U.S. Department of State, and Celebrity Cruises must abide by them.”

In the end, the couple’s trip was ruined, they’re out a good deal of money, and it all could have been avoided if they had properly understood what they needed to sail. A clearer understanding of what was covered by their insurance policy might have avoided some angst after the fact, too.

Disappointed that I wasn’t able to help them either, the couple are left with few options now. They could still possibly file in small claims court, but they’d have to move pretty quickly. According to the Kaufman County clerk, there is a two-year statute of limitations for filing.

“I don’t know,” said Gerald about the possibility. “I’ll have to sit down and talk to my wife. Pretty soon it’s just that you’re paying the lawyers.”

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